I Can Feel It In My Heart
Chapter Eight
"Hermione, you have to choose," Harry said through clenched teeth.
"What?" Hermione looked at him. They had just gone out of Transfiguration class; Harry and Ron had been whispering the whole lesson, and didn't stop even after Professor McGonagall had taken five points from Gryffindor.
Harry and Ron stood in front of Hermione. Ron hadn't spoken to Hermione at all since he insulted her three days before. He wasn't speaking now as well. He was standing with his fists clenched; Harry was folding his arms tightly and staring hard at Hermione.
"You heard me," he said coldly. "You will have to choose."
"Choose what?" asked Hermione.
"Choose between us and Malfoy."
"Excuse me?" Hermione couldn't believe her ears.
"You can't be Malfoy's girlfriend and our friend at the same time," Harry said in repressed anger.
"B-but why?"
Harry was about to answer when Draco appeared. He stepped into the corridor, and as he closed in, Harry and Ron looked at him with pure hatred. Hermione, on the other hand, looked at him in a mingle of happiness and fear.
"Hello there, Malfoy," Harry said calmly, "we were just dicussing you. What a coincidence."
Draco knew that whatever it was they were talking about - it probably wasn't a good thing. "Well," he said, standing now close to Hermione, "can I hear what you've got to say about me?"
"Sure, why not?" Harry answered. "It would probably be easier for her to decide, seeing what she can lose."
"Lose?" Draco asked, rather confused.
"They want me to choose between them and you," said Hermione quietly.
Draco took a deep breath, and Hermione could see he got hurt; it was hurting her too.
"Why are you putting me in this situation?" She shot at Harry. "Why do I have to choose? Can't I have friends and a boyfriend at the same time? It's not like I've been cheating you or something!"
"You can't have him as a boyfriend as long you're friend of ours!" Harry shouted back.
"Fine!" Hermione was so angry, she began turning as red as Ron. "You know what? FINE! If that's how you prove to be real friends, then FINE! I will never let anyone control me, you guys hear me?! I've never even let my parents control me, and you think I'm going to let you?! You guys are going much too far! But you know what - fine! Let it be your way, I'll choose. And I'll choose Draco!"
Harry and Ron looked horror-struck; Draco looked very unhappy as Hermione caught his hand and dragged him all the way outside.
"Why did you do that?" he asked her as he sat down on the grass. Hermione was too angry to sit down. She was so disappoined in Harry and Ron. She had always considered them as her best friends... How could they do this to her?
"Why did you do that, Hermione?" Draco repeated very seriously, "I don't want you to give up things for me. I want to bring only happiness to your life, not bad things... and now I brought you the worst possible - I made you stay without friends."
Hermione was very touched by these words. She relaxed, sat down and hugged Draco tightly.
"Thank you for those kind words, Draco," she whispered and smiled, "but I would never give up our relationship. It means far too much for me. I love you too much, and anyone who is a true friend would accept that." And then she realized what she had just said... weren't Harry and Ron true friends?
Hermione couldn't answer these questions now... all she knew was that she couldn't imagine her life now without Draco; she couldn't give up his love. She decided to think about Harry and Ron later.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Three days later was the very first Quidditch match of the season; Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Hermione's only friend was Ginny now; Harry and Ron, loyal to the agreement, haven't spoken to her at all since she chose Draco. Harry was giving her dirty looks once in a while; Ron, on the other hand, pretended she was part of the wall every time he got close to her.
"Who are you going to support, Hermione?" Parvati asked. It was half an hour before the match; Parvati, Lavender and Hermione were in their dormitory. Harry, Ron and Ginny had already gone. Parvati and Lavender were wearing red and gold from head to toe, and they had also with red ribbons and a red-and-yellow scarf. There was no question about which team THEY was supporting.
"I don't know," Hermione mumured. She was quite torn between the desire to support Draco and the loyalty to her own house. Eventually she decided to support them both: she wore a red shirt and put on a green-and-silver scarf and some red and green ribbons.
The three of them went to the pitch exactly as the Match was about to start.
Draco, the Slytherin seeker, got on his broom and soared upwards. He could see the excitement on the Gryffindor playes' faces; he became excited too. He and Harry were flying only several feet from each other; both searching for the Snitch.
Draco looked at the crowd and looked for Hermione. When he saw her, his smile widened. She smiled and sent him a kiss. Draco saw Harry shooting an angry look at him; he didn't look back.
Why do Ron and Harry refuse to accept me? He wondered. Why do they have to hurt Hermione that much? Everybody deserves a second chance, don't they?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"So what if you lost the match," Hermione said reassuringly. It was raining now, and the sky was gloomily gray, just to fit Draco's mood.
"It's just a match of Quidditch," Hermione said, patting Draco on the back. "It's a sport. It's supposed to be fun. There are always winners and losers on every game, but it's more than about wether you win or lose."
"Guess you're right," Draco said grimly, but it didn't encourage him at all.
"Hermione," he finally said, "I don't think this is going to work."
"Huh?" she stared at him. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about us," Draco said, averting her gaze, staring out of the window. "It's not that I don't love you... Trust me, I love you more than life itself. But you are so lonely because of me."
"LONELY?!" Hermione caught his face and forced him to look at her. "I've never been less lonely in my entire life!"
"But thanks to me, you don't have any friends..."
"Listen, Draco, it is their fault, not yours, OK? I would never give up my relationship with you just to be their friend, especially not after the way they treated me. I hope some day they will understand, but even if they don't, I would never leave you. Ever."
Draco looked at her and smiled. "Hermione, I've been wanting to ask you for a while - would you like to come to my house for Christmas? My mother invited us. You can invite anyone you'd like, too."
"Sure!" Hermione replied, and Draco kissed her, a kiss that reflected all his love.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Dear Mom, Hermione loves me more than I expected. Her friends, Harry and Ron, told her to choose between them and me. I was sure she was going to choose them, I even told her to do so, but she chose me. She knows I've changed. But it bothers me, Mom. She's lonely, she misses her friends and I can see it in her eyes. I learned to know her so well, I know how she feels even if she doesn't tell me. And she misses Harry and Ron. I know she does. Mom, do you know what it feels like to know that you have caused your beloved one misery? Do you have any advice for me? What can I do? I miss you. We'll see each other in a few weeks, on Christmas.
Draco
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Thanks, everyone who reviewed!!! Wow! You really flattered me! Thank you so much!!!!!!
Please make more reviews, they're fun to read! :-)
Love, Roni
Chapter Eight
"Hermione, you have to choose," Harry said through clenched teeth.
"What?" Hermione looked at him. They had just gone out of Transfiguration class; Harry and Ron had been whispering the whole lesson, and didn't stop even after Professor McGonagall had taken five points from Gryffindor.
Harry and Ron stood in front of Hermione. Ron hadn't spoken to Hermione at all since he insulted her three days before. He wasn't speaking now as well. He was standing with his fists clenched; Harry was folding his arms tightly and staring hard at Hermione.
"You heard me," he said coldly. "You will have to choose."
"Choose what?" asked Hermione.
"Choose between us and Malfoy."
"Excuse me?" Hermione couldn't believe her ears.
"You can't be Malfoy's girlfriend and our friend at the same time," Harry said in repressed anger.
"B-but why?"
Harry was about to answer when Draco appeared. He stepped into the corridor, and as he closed in, Harry and Ron looked at him with pure hatred. Hermione, on the other hand, looked at him in a mingle of happiness and fear.
"Hello there, Malfoy," Harry said calmly, "we were just dicussing you. What a coincidence."
Draco knew that whatever it was they were talking about - it probably wasn't a good thing. "Well," he said, standing now close to Hermione, "can I hear what you've got to say about me?"
"Sure, why not?" Harry answered. "It would probably be easier for her to decide, seeing what she can lose."
"Lose?" Draco asked, rather confused.
"They want me to choose between them and you," said Hermione quietly.
Draco took a deep breath, and Hermione could see he got hurt; it was hurting her too.
"Why are you putting me in this situation?" She shot at Harry. "Why do I have to choose? Can't I have friends and a boyfriend at the same time? It's not like I've been cheating you or something!"
"You can't have him as a boyfriend as long you're friend of ours!" Harry shouted back.
"Fine!" Hermione was so angry, she began turning as red as Ron. "You know what? FINE! If that's how you prove to be real friends, then FINE! I will never let anyone control me, you guys hear me?! I've never even let my parents control me, and you think I'm going to let you?! You guys are going much too far! But you know what - fine! Let it be your way, I'll choose. And I'll choose Draco!"
Harry and Ron looked horror-struck; Draco looked very unhappy as Hermione caught his hand and dragged him all the way outside.
"Why did you do that?" he asked her as he sat down on the grass. Hermione was too angry to sit down. She was so disappoined in Harry and Ron. She had always considered them as her best friends... How could they do this to her?
"Why did you do that, Hermione?" Draco repeated very seriously, "I don't want you to give up things for me. I want to bring only happiness to your life, not bad things... and now I brought you the worst possible - I made you stay without friends."
Hermione was very touched by these words. She relaxed, sat down and hugged Draco tightly.
"Thank you for those kind words, Draco," she whispered and smiled, "but I would never give up our relationship. It means far too much for me. I love you too much, and anyone who is a true friend would accept that." And then she realized what she had just said... weren't Harry and Ron true friends?
Hermione couldn't answer these questions now... all she knew was that she couldn't imagine her life now without Draco; she couldn't give up his love. She decided to think about Harry and Ron later.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Three days later was the very first Quidditch match of the season; Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Hermione's only friend was Ginny now; Harry and Ron, loyal to the agreement, haven't spoken to her at all since she chose Draco. Harry was giving her dirty looks once in a while; Ron, on the other hand, pretended she was part of the wall every time he got close to her.
"Who are you going to support, Hermione?" Parvati asked. It was half an hour before the match; Parvati, Lavender and Hermione were in their dormitory. Harry, Ron and Ginny had already gone. Parvati and Lavender were wearing red and gold from head to toe, and they had also with red ribbons and a red-and-yellow scarf. There was no question about which team THEY was supporting.
"I don't know," Hermione mumured. She was quite torn between the desire to support Draco and the loyalty to her own house. Eventually she decided to support them both: she wore a red shirt and put on a green-and-silver scarf and some red and green ribbons.
The three of them went to the pitch exactly as the Match was about to start.
Draco, the Slytherin seeker, got on his broom and soared upwards. He could see the excitement on the Gryffindor playes' faces; he became excited too. He and Harry were flying only several feet from each other; both searching for the Snitch.
Draco looked at the crowd and looked for Hermione. When he saw her, his smile widened. She smiled and sent him a kiss. Draco saw Harry shooting an angry look at him; he didn't look back.
Why do Ron and Harry refuse to accept me? He wondered. Why do they have to hurt Hermione that much? Everybody deserves a second chance, don't they?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"So what if you lost the match," Hermione said reassuringly. It was raining now, and the sky was gloomily gray, just to fit Draco's mood.
"It's just a match of Quidditch," Hermione said, patting Draco on the back. "It's a sport. It's supposed to be fun. There are always winners and losers on every game, but it's more than about wether you win or lose."
"Guess you're right," Draco said grimly, but it didn't encourage him at all.
"Hermione," he finally said, "I don't think this is going to work."
"Huh?" she stared at him. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about us," Draco said, averting her gaze, staring out of the window. "It's not that I don't love you... Trust me, I love you more than life itself. But you are so lonely because of me."
"LONELY?!" Hermione caught his face and forced him to look at her. "I've never been less lonely in my entire life!"
"But thanks to me, you don't have any friends..."
"Listen, Draco, it is their fault, not yours, OK? I would never give up my relationship with you just to be their friend, especially not after the way they treated me. I hope some day they will understand, but even if they don't, I would never leave you. Ever."
Draco looked at her and smiled. "Hermione, I've been wanting to ask you for a while - would you like to come to my house for Christmas? My mother invited us. You can invite anyone you'd like, too."
"Sure!" Hermione replied, and Draco kissed her, a kiss that reflected all his love.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Dear Mom, Hermione loves me more than I expected. Her friends, Harry and Ron, told her to choose between them and me. I was sure she was going to choose them, I even told her to do so, but she chose me. She knows I've changed. But it bothers me, Mom. She's lonely, she misses her friends and I can see it in her eyes. I learned to know her so well, I know how she feels even if she doesn't tell me. And she misses Harry and Ron. I know she does. Mom, do you know what it feels like to know that you have caused your beloved one misery? Do you have any advice for me? What can I do? I miss you. We'll see each other in a few weeks, on Christmas.
Draco
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Thanks, everyone who reviewed!!! Wow! You really flattered me! Thank you so much!!!!!!
Please make more reviews, they're fun to read! :-)
Love, Roni